Feel Good Friday

Feel Good Friday is brought to you by The Girl Next Door Grows Up .

If you want to see what it is all about just click the link, you'll be glad that you did.

My story this week is about my Pops.

My Dad. The strong silent type.

The man who I know always has my back.

Sure, we had some issues while I was growing up. I got my stubborness from him so we did butt heads.

It makes me smile to see him so happy when the grandchildren are visiting him. He has a few that he never sees, so we try to make up for it with the grandchildren he does. My one brother lives close so he is able to see his grandson and granddaughter frequently and then of course I live next door so he is able to see my daugher frequently as well.

The other day he was on his tractor with his grandson and over the loudness of the tractor I could hear him singing at the top of his lungs.

One day he watched Em for me so I could run some errands and as I was walking up the stairs to his place I could hear them laughing in the living room. When I walked in, Em was hopping all over the place, completely wrapped up in a plastic slinky.

I know it does bring him sadness though when he thinks about Mom not being able to be here enjoying her grandchildren as well. My one niece was old enough and able to spend 3 years or so with Mom, but she never "met" my brother's son, or my daughter. But I tell him that she does "see" them and is always with them and looking out for them and I'm sure she is holding on tightly to the little ones I have lost.

I know this is suppose to be Feel Good Friday, and I just turned the story sad, which I apologize for.

So, my Feel Good Friday story is the happiness it brings me to see the joy on my Pops face when he is spending time with the grandchildren.

I hope everyone has had a fabulous weekend

Garage Sale Time

So, here, in my end of the country it is garage (yard, rummage) sale time.

I think the weather will start to cooperate. Yes, we just had snow a couple of days ago but it is back up in the 50's now.

I like garage sales. My moms and I use to go to them. Of course, we weren't as dedicated as some as we didn't get up at 5 a.m. to map out our sales and then hit the road. We would just go for a drive, find one, and stop.

We never found the "holy grail" of garage/yard sale items, but it was always fun.

But, now with gas being over $3 a gallon here, maybe it is better to map out a route.

I've been thinking about throwing a garage (yard) sale together this weekend to try and raise a little extra money. The weather is suppose to be decent so it might be a good weekend to do it.

Only problem we are out in the middle of no-where and don't get alot of traffic on our road (unless someone is lost, lol).

The more I think of it though, the more I just might do it. They are just alot of work. Maybe I will give the MIL a call and see if she wants to come over and sit with me and the little one for it. Hubby never wants anything to do with them.

Do you like sales??

What has been your best find??

How about hosting them??

More crib recalls

Was just reading this on a news site. More crib recalls.

Government Announces Two Crib Recalls

Do you collect anything?

I was surfing the 'net and came across this article about people collecting "things."

Collecting can destroy your life .

Makes me wonder if I would ever be capable of taking a collection this far?!?

Okay, no, I don't believe I would because I am becoming the person that wants things put away. We have a small place so with the toys and other stuff out it always looks cluttered here.

At least once a day I trip over something. Swear at myself for not buying a bigger place when I had a chance, and then telling myself that one day we will have a bigger home (I can only hope, though I don't see it in the reality realm). Not so we can have more "stuff" but just to be able to move around more freely and having it look more neat in here.

Do you think that if you had the room you could become a hoarder?

What would you hoard??

If you want to know what Feel Good Friday is all about zip on over to The Girl Next Door Grows Up . It truly makes you feel good just by participating in this.

This has been another one of those weeks where there have been some ups and downs. Some days the bad tried to outweigh the good but I fought it off.

My brother was texting me from Hawaii, as he was sitting on the beach, kicking back and was talking about Mom and that really made me start to miss her more this week. I already miss her a bunch, but when she is brought up in conversation the pain seems to get worse.

But there are things that made me smile, lots of things actually.

~ New friends. It is great to be able to converse with other Moms (and even Dads) that are going through some of the same ups and downs that you are.

~ Reading others blogs have made me smile. Some of your posts really crack me up, and I can hear myself laugh out loud while I am reading them.

~ Sheets hung out on the line. How can these not make you feel good? Freshly laundered and hung out in the spring air, they smell so great when you put them on the bed and crawl into them.

~ Warm socks on a cool morning. It was about 20 degrees out this morning when we got up. Nothing worse (and can cause you to wake up immediately) then having your warm feet hit a cold kitchen floor.

~ The little one learning how to do somersaults, which is her new favorite thing to do. She was doing them on the bed the other night and giggling. She had tried numerous times before but wasn't able to push her butt up and over. She did one on the living room floor yesterday (before I could stop her), and I think she knew it was a mistake long before she flopped over.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful day.

Followers ~ Thank you.

Wow ~ I'm shocked.

I have followers. Wonderful people that want to read what I have to say.

Again ~ shocked!!

I just want to thank everyone that has chosen to follow me. If you have a blog I have returned the favor and am following you. If I have missed you, please just drop me a note and I'll be sure to follow you.

I have enjoyed reading your blogs so far.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful, fantastic day.

A quick giggle moment

If you have read some of my past post we are in the process of trying to potty train. I read that girl are "normally" ready before boys are so that gave me hopes of starting at 2 years of age.

Afterall, she had gotten up from naps with a dry diaper and there have been a time or two when she has gotten up in the morning and she is just barely wet.

So, this morning she gets up and does her normal stripping. She gets her onsie off and proceeds to take her diaper off and drop it in the garbage pail. While I'm getting myself going she is running all over the house bare bottom, and since it is just her and I here, I just let her do her thing.

She comes to me in the bedroom and says "p" and was looking down. I checked, and no she hadn't so I figured this was her way to tell me she had to go. I ask her if she has to use the potty and she shakes her head yes [oh it can't be this easy today, lol].

I get out her potty and she sits down on it. Of course, she is holding dolly while this is all going on.

She sits there for 5-6 minutes and then gets up and looks all happy.

Then she takes off running.

I check her potty.

No, she didn't go.

I turn around . . . . . .

She squats a little, and pees on the floor.

She then looks at me with this innocent look in her eyes and a big smile on her face, points down, and says "pppppppppppppppppppppp."

Feel Good Friday Time

Hi everyone!!! I hope that everyone has had a wonderful week.

It is Friday, so you know what that means. It is Feel Good Friday. If you want to get involved, just swing over to: http://www.thegirlnextdoorgrowsup.com/ and you can read all about it.

Things that made me smile or brought happiness to me this week.

1. Listening to my daughter giggle loudly while she was watching The Wiggles. I have to admit that they are starting to really grow on me.
2. Hot Fudge Sundaes. Yes, I said it. Even though it wasn't hot out, we went and got some sundaes while they were on special at one of the local stores.
3. Watching my Pops play with his granddaughter. They love each others company so much.
4. New friends. It appears that I have "met" some really awesome ladies doing the blogging thing.
5. Which leads to me this one: helpful ladies. A certain someone (who shall remain nameless, hint ~ Feel Good Friday), took the time to answer some of my blog questions and to steer me in a great direction.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend.

Where's Dolly??

Times like these I feel like a bad mommy.

Em is attatched to her Dolly. Dolly takes naps with her. Dolly goes to bed at night with her. Dolly gets dragged all over the house by her.

This is actually Dolly the 2nd. The first dolly went through hell and started to fall apart. I would have tried to wash it, but with it ripped I knew that it wouldn't survive the washing machine.

Dolly the 2nd was supposed to be a Christmas present, but being that we had to dispose of the first one, she became an early Christmas present after a sleepless night of "dolly, dolllllleeeeeee, dollllllleeeeeee."

So, why do I feel like a bad mommy?

Because when Em got up from her nap, dolly was soaked.

I hijacked dolly and threw her in the washing machine.

Em is now walking around looking for dolly and yelling out to her. Though I don't think dolly can hear her during the spin cycle :-) .

Even as I am typing this she just got up in my face and said "dolleeeeeeeee," and pointed towards the bedroom. I told her to go and check but I'm sure that isn't going to satisfy her need for her dolly.

Please, spin cycle, hurry up.

Blog

So, I have been debating on what I can do to snazzy up my blog?!? Well, posting more would probably help.

I don't really have the funds to pay someone to make it look all professional so that is out for now.

I have updated the title.

Maybe not the best, but I have been sitting here trying to come up with something cute, off-the-wall and eye catching.

Been trying to create a button but haven't had any luck so far with that.

What else should I do?

More articles?

More pictures?

More blabbering posts when I haven't had any sleep?

I finally did add a profile picture; it is of my little one and her dad going "nose to nose." A fun game that they play. Not sure why when I click on the blogs that I am following it is still a "blog" picture instead of the profile picture I have.

I know that there are quite a few things that I can do. I would really like to get more followers, or as hubby refers to them "Karen's Posse."

ETA: I also want to apologize because I updated my link and it appears that all my comments that you wonderful ladies have left me have vanished into blogger land.

Missing Comments from FGF

Okay blogger, what did you do with my comments that I received for yesterdays FGF?? They were there, and now it reads zero. I apologize to Kim and Anne because they were their comments and somehow they got deleted. Weird.

I just want to thank you ladies for stopping by.

ETA: Now it has gotten weirder. It is reading 0 comments, but when you click on comments, they are both there.

Feel Good Friday

Well this week I was just going to skip the FGF as it has been one of those weeks where you really have to look for the good.

Or, so I thought.

How can you strain to find the good in things when you have a two year old bundle of joy that runs laps around you all the time?

Em and all her new words, and she is still doing the "mommmmmmeeeeee, mooommmmeeeeee, moooooommmmmmmmeeee" thing all the time. This is what it reminds me of, and she makes me laugh each time she gets going with it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNkp4QF3we8

Other things that have rocked hard this week ~

* My Pops mowed the lawn for the first time this year. Well, at least part of it. It is so green, and smelled so good. Of course, today is cold and has been spitting snow on and off.

* Taking Em down to see the new calves and watching her eyes light up.

* I also got my vehicle back from the mechanics on Wednesday. The story of my adventure is in last weeks Feel Good Friday. It was a LOT more then I expected, but I was able to borrow the money from Dad and will pay him back when I can.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend.

Most of my friends/family know that I am a proud member of the "Red Sox Nation." No, I'm not from Mass., or really any state where you would expect there to be Sox fans.

I am from New York.

Yankee country.

I am a firm believer that Yankee and Red Sox fans don't hate each other. Well, maybe in some places that may be the case. But in my world, its not.

You see, I'm married to a Yankee fan.

My brothers are Yankee fans.

My mother was a Red Sox fan and I am a Red Sox fan.

We all get along.

Yes, there are "ha ha ha ha" texts at 11:00 p.m. at night.

There are bets.

There are accusations about certain ball-players.

But for us, it is all part of the game.

I have to admit that I'm not one of those fans that is glued to the tv and watching every inning, every pitch, yelling at the tv when things go wrong, etc. Okay, last night, on opening night, when Cameron was called out by the first base ump, I did yell at the TV. He missed the call. The Yankee announcers said he missed the call. But it is all part of the game.

Will there ever be heated discussions over teams?? Oh yes, there have been in the past and there will be in the future. But, it is all part of the game for us. My brother even wore a Yankee jersey to Easter dinner yesterday.

Only 161 more games to go and then on to the post season. There are seventeen more regular season games with the Yankees and who knows what will happen in the playoffs.

Then we can put the season behind us and move on to football.

BUT, there we have camaraderie, as my husband, myself and my brother (who is local) are all Cowboys fans.

Ahhhhhhhhh Monday

Have you ever noticed when you don't have a vehicle, you have a million places that you want to go??

If you read my Feel Good Friday story you remember that I am without a vehicle. A shortened version of the story is that it broke down Friday, at noon, at the drive thru window of the local McDonalds. It happens. Well, it seems to happen to me quite a bit.

I'm still waiting for my vehicle to find its way home to me. Though it is in the garage, the mechanic had to order the fishing line cable to repair it. I was happy when I found out it was actually inside, but here it is 5:00 p.m. and it still isn't ready.

Which leads me back to my: Have you ever noticed when you don't have a vehicle you have a million places to you want to go??

We really had no place to go today. It is just the thought that if I wanted to, I could just put the little one in her car seat and off we go. Instead we have watched The Wiggles and a few other children's shows and have been working on potty training.

That still isn't going as well as I hope. It goes something like this: "Are you pooping?" Em shakes head yes. "Come here so I can put you on the potty." Em runs in different direction. I get up and bring her to the potty, take off her diaper and set her down. Em cries and decides at that moment she no longer has to go potty. After a few more minutes I stand her up, put a diaper on her and she proceeds to do her business in her diaper.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Monday.

A tiring FEEL GOOD FRIDAY

For the most part this has been a decent week. It has warmed up quite a bit and I have even got a little sweaty cleaning. I know it is just the beginning of warm weather and summertime. Summer is not my favorite season. I've never been one for the heat or the humidity. If it stayed 60 year round I'd probably be happy, but then it would be to cold to swim.

Anyways, like I said its been a decent week. The little one is learning more and more words everyday and seems to come up with a new dance move daily which just makes you laugh.

Today on the other hand is one of those days when I should have stayed in bed and just pulled the covers up over my head. But I did find something that made me laugh at the end of the bad things that happened. First I had to go to Target, yes we waited till last minute to get the Easter bunny gifts, of course, everything is picked through and there wasn't much of anything left so I left there with nothing. Fine, we'll go into the local drug store later and find something for her.

Hubby calls me on the phone and wants me to bring him something to drink as he is getting all sweaty. So, I hop on the interstate, get off and go through the drive thru of the local Mickey D's. I go to pull away, and NOTHING. The vehicle is running,I hit the gas and I just sit there.

Normally things like this wouldn't bring me to tears. But, I have a hot 2 year old in the back screaming, its noon, on a Friday, in the drive thru to McDonalds. Let's just say I didn't make to many friends.

I tell the woman at the window that I'm stuck, thankfully, they seemed to be understanding and opened up the drive thru window behind me and hand delivered some items to the immediate vehicles behind me. The maintenance dude comes out. I explain its stuck in park, the gear shift is free floating (so I knew the cable had snapped), and he proceeded to try and push it. He opens up the door and jiggles the gear shift, went through all the gears, but of course nothing happened. He had me pop the hood, looked under it, closed the hood and tried to push again.

Another gentlemen come out and they tried to push again.

I thanked them for their time and called hubby in tears. I also called my father who in turn called another member of his wife's family to see if he could help out. We finally called a tow truck because it had to be moved.

At this time, hubby, my father and his wife, and the wife of the guy that my father called showed up. Someone else who knew hubby and the wife stops, gets out, looks under the hood and has me move the lever so he could see where it was moving to. He was able to take a long screwdriver and get it to shift into drive. ALAS, I can get out of the drive thru area.

We cancel the tow truck. But all I can do is go forward. Can't take the keys out of the ignition or shut it off. Thankfully the gentlemen that was going to tow it also fixes vehicles and isn't busy so I was able to drive it down to his place and it should be fixed in a few days.

Truthfully, there wasn't much to laugh about while this was all going on. I also understand that this happens, it just seems to happen quite frequently lately. Of course, now there is another bill we didn't need right now.

After I got moving and heading to the repair shop I just had to laugh out loud because really, if you can't laugh at the luck of this, then all you will do is cry. My laughing got a chorus of giggles from the back seat, and the little one screaming at the top of her lungs: Moooooooommmmmmmy, moooooommmmy, mooooommmmmmy, and a Dadddddddddy (who was driving behind us) thrown into the mix.

Thanks for stopping by, now does anyone want to buy a Toyota?? It runs great, you just need a long screwdriver.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.